NATURE 



[September 5, 19 12 



siderably from the plan of the work as a whole ; 

 the former brings us down to the present day, 

 while the latter carries us from Theophrastus to 

 the first De Candolle. Still, both essays are ger- 

 mane to the purpose of the book, and add so 

 much to its value that it would be more than un- 

 gracious to cavil at their presence among these 

 delightful and informing sketches of the " Early 

 Naturalists. " 



THE WANDERING OF THE BRONZE AGE 

 POTTERS. 



A Study oj the Bronze Age Pottery of Great Britain 

 and Ireland, and its associated Grave-goods. 

 By the Hon. John Abercromby. Vol. i., pp. 

 163+lxi plates. Vol. ii., pp. 128 + plates 

 Ixii-cx. (Oxford : Clarendon Press, 1912.) 

 Two volumes, price ;£2 3^- i^ct. 



ARCHAEOLOGISTS have long been looking 

 forward to the Hon. Dr. John Abercromby's 

 monograph on Bronze Age pottery, and, as was 

 to be expected, it has proved to be exhaustive and 

 workmanlike. .'\s an indication of the pains which 

 the author has taken, it may be mentioned that 

 there are photographs of 54 Continental beakers, 

 291 British beakers, 421 food vessels, 570 cinerary 

 urns, numerous photographs of other objects, 

 several plates of details of ornamentation, and a 

 number of valuable maps of distributions. A 

 classified list of the vessels illustrated in the 

 plates would save the reader a great deal of 

 trouble. The purely descriptive matter is as suc- 

 cinct as possible, though all essential informa- 

 tion is given, and as there are full references 

 the student knows where to go for further 

 details. 



Not only have we data of form, ornamentation, 

 and distribution, but Dr. Abercromby has sought 

 to make them tell a tale by coordinating other 

 finds, such as skulls, implements, beads, &c. He 

 rightly endeavours to give a picture of the life 

 of the people, but some of his speculations on 

 their social condition and religious beliefs are too 

 hypothetical, and are scarcely consistent with the 

 scientific method he adopts when dealing with his 

 immediate subject. His general conclusions may 

 be summarised as follows, .'\bout 2000 B.C. it 

 would seem that Britain was invaded by a rugged, 

 enterprising people, mainly of Alpine stock, whose 

 ancestors, perhaps three to four hundred years 

 earlier, had lived beyond the Rhine, not very far 

 north of Helvetia. They had scarcely emerged 

 from the neolithic stage of culture, and perhaps 

 brought no single copper or_ bronze knife among 

 them, but not long afterwards they possessed such 

 NO. 2236, VOL. 90] 



small implements, and perhaps flat axes. Their 

 wealth must have consisted in cattle, sheep, goats, 

 and swine. They were also acquainted with 

 cereals. They were not an inventive people, for 

 they had only two forms of sepulchral pottery, 

 which lasted with small variations for about 500 

 years, and they never abandoned geometrical 

 ornamentation. Women were buried with as much 

 ceremony as men. They presumably spoke an 

 ."Vryan language. 



The invaders probably landed on the coast of 

 Kent, and in course of time some moved north 

 and others west ; these began to cluster on the 

 Wiltshire downs, especially round what is now 

 Stonehenge. About 1880 B.C. the northern branch 

 crossed the Humber into East Riding, where 

 they also found the earlier natives in possession. 

 .A.bout this time their influence had reached 

 Hibernia, in the shape of a beaker, though they 

 themselves may not have crossed over so early. 

 Not until about 1600 did they colonise the 

 south coast of Moray Firth, and the extreme 

 north was reached some time later. By 1500 B.C. 

 the direct evidence of the brachycephalic in- 

 vaders ceases. In the south their ceramic ended, 

 and the skull-type was obliterated by cremation ; 

 but they were not exterminated. It is not unlikely 

 that Stonehenge was erected about 300 years after 

 the invasion. 



About 1 350-1 1 50 there was a remarkable 

 development of material civilisation in south 

 Britain, new forms of small, often beautifully made 

 cups are first met with, and there were skilful 

 artificers in gold ; traces of foreign influences are 

 also met with. From about 11 50 to goo B.C. is 

 an obscure period, with diminished material 

 wealth. During the next period (circa 900-650), 

 south Britain was entered by new tribes, 

 apparently refugees, who introduced a new form 

 of entrenchment and new forms of pottery, some 

 of which have analogies east of the Rhine, others 

 about the northern base of the Pyrenees. There 

 is no evidence that they spread north of the 

 Thames. During the period beginning circa 900, 

 the population increased, and the dead were 

 interred in flat cemeteries, though barrows never 

 fell entirely into disuse ; the change was not due 

 to foreign influence, as the contemporary pottery 

 from cemeteries and barrows is identical. The 

 period from 650-400 is obscure ; in remote parts 

 like Dorset and Ross-shire, the Bronze Age cer- 

 tainly lasted till about 200 B.C. 



This admirable monograph breaks new ground, 

 and will long remain the standard work on the 

 early Bronze Age of the British Islands. 



A. C. Haddon. 



